April 2010

04/05/2010

Finding the best type of dog food for your family pet can be difficult, especially because there are so many choices. Many companies market their foods with keywords such as “balanced nutrition”, “all-natural” and “premium formula”. It can be hard to sort through all of the marketing jargon to really discover what’s in your dog’s food. To help you make a choice, you may want to research some dog food reviews.

Finding Dog Food Reviews

You generally have three options when searching for dog food reviews: asking other dog owners, reading dog nutrition magazines, or searching online. Due to the amount of information available on the internet, you may want to begin by doing a search online. If you are looking for reviews of a specific formula, search for “(name of formula) dog food reviews”. In the search results, you should be able to find at least four or five websites that can give you an idea of what other dog owners think of a specific food.

Dog Food Review Websites

There are many websites that are dedicated entirely to providing dog food reviews. Some of these websites allow anyone to review a formula, while some reserve their reviews only for qualified animal nutrition experts. It’s important to read these reviews carefully, taking the source of the review into account. Not all dog food reviews can be taken at face value.

How to Read Dog Food Reviews

It’s important that you don’t simply look at the “average dog food ratings” when reading dog food reviews. Some of these reviews may not state a specific reason for giving a formula a positive/negative rating. As a general rule, you can exclude all reviews that don’t offer any useful information. Only take into account reviews which have specific information, such as: “My dog’s energy level increased after I fed him this dog food formula” or, “My dog began having diarrhea after being fed this formula, the symptoms stopped after I switched to a different formula”.

Reading Dog Food Ingredients

Dog food reviews only provide you with a general view of the experiences of other dog food owners. In order to make an informed decision, you also need to do your own research. If you’re considering purchasing a dog food formula, begin by reading the first five ingredients. In most cases, these ingredients make up the majority of the formula. Try to make sure that the first ingredient is meat-based, and that the formula has at least two meat-based foods listed in the first five ingredients.

Writing Your Own Dog Food Review

If you have had a positive or negative experience with a dog food formula, you may want to try writing your own review. Choose a reputable dog food review website, and write about your opinion of the formula. It’s best to cite specific changes that you noticed in your dog’s health, behavior and overall well-being. Cite all positive and negative factors of a food, such as price, availability and the quality of the ingredients.